"The Last Emperor" is the third in a set of experimental writings I've been doing told in the same universe. This third set differs from the first only in the method in which the story is told, the story itself remains the same. The first copy was 1st person, the second third person, and this one is a third person perspective that starts at the end with flashbacks to the past used to tell the earlier story.
Reposting permissions are granted provided credit is given to "Rannoch."
I won't say much more as a lot of the story is told in the form of questions that will need answering. That's what keeps you reading! I will write this in small, several paragraph segments that I consider "press ready" and will likely still commit frequent revisions (at least if the edit timer is lifted) Without further blabbing, the first chapter begins here:
Chapter 1: A Different Sun
The cell was dark. No light from the outside was permitted at this level of the ship at all, save a set of red emergency lights. They were running dark, surely. He knew their destination was Sol, and there was only one way there. The Terrans called it the "Atria Belt," a almost humorless jab at what once had been. It was the remains of the Atria Line, where the Imperial Fleet had attempted to stop the beginning of the end. They had failed of course. The whole region was now a debri field of past pride, lost glory, where a once proud fleet had been decimated and forced into disintegration. The region was now a haven for pirates, small groups of Imperial Rebels fighting under various banners, and those who have something to hide. Regardless of your allegiance, the goal in the Atria line is no longer to know what is coming, but to hide from it. Sensors are off, the bridge crew is manually navigating the belt, and they have little time for the prison level.
He was almost happy when the red lights flickered briefly, and turned white. It meant they had left the belt, and the ship was charging it's jump drives to full capacity. He had almost hoped they would not make it through, that he would die in a collision with one of the many debri objects out there, become one with his peers. The bridge crew of this ship was skilled, he was not so lucky. The ship lurched as it aligned itself with Sol, and then fell into complete and utter silence.
The silence lasted for what could've been an eternity. It did not matter here. After all that had happened, he could use some silence. From where he was taken, the docks at New Haven, Trisad, homeworld of the Empire, he had heard enough. The crying of the people, the scarves and scraps they used to cover their mouths, to try in vain to filter the dying planets atmosphere. The screaming of the people trying to get food off the Terran aid trucks... once he left the dockside, once he crossed the gangplank to the mainland, he knew he had made a mistake. He should never have come here. The Boson had been right, the rally call had been a trap. There was nothing at New Haven, only death.
None of that mattered anymore. He barely noticed when the cell door hissed, depressurized and slid open. Two Terran guards stood side by side at the door opening. He ignored them. They didn't pay attention to him anyway.
One of them took a step in and gestured: "On your feet." He said. "Captain wants you on the bridge."
"What is it this time?" He sighed. They only summoned him to the bridge when they had something to show him... something painful usually. They had summoned him once at the beginning of the Atria belt, and it was purely for media show. They wanted to show their war prize, standing Emperor of Trisad, in full discrace in front of his decimated fleet. The fleet wasn't even his, he was the supreme commander of the Imperial Navy, not the star fleet, but it did not matter. As highest surviving officer, he was emperor. He was all they had. He had to do his people proud... such was his office.
The walk down the hall was more guarded than usual. There were uniformed guards at every door in a strong show of force. What did they expect? For him to escape? Into the depths of space? Surely not. No, this was different. This was for the media. They must be reaching the end of the jump. Radio contact with Earth would be established soon.
The bridge blast doors slid apart and they stepped onto the bridge. In the center command platform stood the Captain, Commander Jackson, enrobed in a blue hue from the subspace field. He did not know his first name. He was not afforded that. He was not afforded much.
Jackson smiled. "Welcome to Sol, Emperor Medina!"
As was certainly choreographed, the ship suddenly lurched backwards, as if something had grabbed it right out of the sky. The blue field on the frontal viewports fell away and gave way to a huge glowing yellow orb. It was huge and blindingly bright. He couldn't help but feel it was in appearance much like his hosts emotions towards the empire: Full of rage and fire.
Shades extended to cover the blinding brightness across the viewports. It was certainly a shock and awe display for him, there was no reason they had to wait to lower the shades.
His eyes were still quite blinded by the brightness as the room darkened. That may have been part of their plan as well.
Despite the darkness, Jackson was glowing with pride. "You needn't worry about the subspace rupture, we're in quite a hurry you see, so we aren't dropping smoothly. We're keeping just a little below the speed of light.and using the star's gravity to slingshot us to Earth."
"Why Earth?" Medina asked. "Why waste time with that ruined world?"
Jackson cocked an eyebrow curiously. "If you had captured me, would you not bring me to Trisad? Surely my Emperor you are not that dense. Earth is the birthplace of man. We all come from Earth Emperor..."
He paused dramatically. In the corners, he now could see the media cameras. And so it began... This claim that they all came from earth was just another calculated insult for the public's enjoyment surely. Jackson knew those who served the Empress did not believe that... But he did not care.
Jackson let out a sigh of joyous relief. "...And to Earth we return!" he declared, beaming.
In the distance, a brownish orb began to grow larger. They were almost there...
